In 2023, food bank saw record need
In 2023, the Broomfield FISH f ood bank a nd r esource center saw the highest need f or a ssistance it has seen in its 60 years of operation.
In its 2023 annual report, FISH reported that through its shelf- shop grocery marketplace, emergency financial assistance and resource s upport, it s erved more than 13,000 unduplicated residents, or approximately 17% of Broomfield’s population.
Communications and Media Manager Maggie Sava said the unprecedented need in the community is caused by a number of factors, including wages too low for the cost of living, high rent prices in the area and a lack of affordable housing.
“Housing expenses become a huge burden for families when our participants are paying 70% or more of their monthly income on housing alone ,” she said.
As a nonprofit, FISH operates primarily through donations, including those collected through food drives. But with one in six Broomfield residents needing assistance, the annual report s howed that FISH was forced t o dip into i ts reserve funds to ensure no residents went hungry.
“( Using the reserve funds) i s very unusual for us,” S ava said. “It may be the first time we’ve had to do that … but the fact that we had them and were able to meet the increasing need is really important.”
According to the report, FISH distributed 1,560,603 pounds of food to neighbors in need in 2023 through its marketplace.
“The increase in need has been steadily going up … and I don’t think it’s just low- income families. It’s across classes ,” said Mike Lutz, food operations manager.
“From families that are unhoused to working families that have one or multiple jobs just trying to make ends meet.”
The need for assistance in Broomfield has increased steadily over several years, with visits to the marketplace increasing by nearly 2,000 from 2022 to 2023.